Issue Briefs

Every day, hospitals in the United States provide care and services to heal the sick and take care of those in need. It is the job of hospital administrators to ensure that nonprofit hospitals are focused on their missions and serving the communities in which they exist. That means not just treating patients but providing high quality healthcare in a manner that is safe, provides an excellent patient experience and meets regulatory requirements. This task is by no means an easy one. Today’s hospital leaders must balance the rising cost of providing care to ever greater numbers of the uninsured with the need to bring in revenues that will sustain operations. Add to that the increasing scrutiny of hospital nonprofit status as well as staffing issues inherent in the complex, multi-layered organizational structure of hospitals and one begins to get an idea of the enormity of the job facing our region’s hospital leadership.